“College Lawn.” Early maps once called College Park that name. Today, we know this city as College Park. It is home to the University of Maryland.
College Park is a city with a rich history. It is located in Prince George’s County Maryland. The city is approximately four miles from Washington D.C. College Park’s population was 34740 in 2020.
Did you know that College Park is home to several federal agencies? These include the National Archives at College Park. NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center is here too. So is the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
In 1909, the College Park Airport was established. It is the world’s oldest continuously operated airport. The College Park Aviation Museum is attached to the airport. It houses antique and reproduction aircraft. The museum also holds materials about early aviation history.
Let’s step back in time. The earliest evidence of human activity in the College Park area dates back to 3000 to 2600 BC. Archeologists found projectile points south of Archives II. These finds indicate that the Native American population became more sedentary. This was during the Late Archaic period.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, European settlers lived on large plantations. Records exist for Toaping Castle. This land grant was to Col. Isaac Walker from c. 1745. The Calvert family’s Riversdale also included parts of South College Park. The Old Parish House dates from 1817. It was initially a farm building.
The Rossborough Inn is the oldest standing building in College Park. Its construction was completed in 1803. The Maryland Agricultural College was chartered in 1856. It later became a land grant college in 1864.
Eugene Campbell first platted the College Park subdivision in 1872. John O. Johnson and Samuel Curriden re-platted the area in 1889. They divided the 125-acre tract into building lots. College Park originally included single-family residences.
By the turn of the century, College Park was developing rapidly. It catered to those escaping crowded Washington D.C. The staff of college faculty and employees expanded quickly.
In 1909, the United States Army Signal Corps established the College Park Airport. Wilbur Wright trained military officers to fly here. Civilian aircraft began flying from College Park Airport in 1911.
Commercial development increased in the 1920s. This was aided by increased automobile traffic. The campus grew along Baltimore Avenue/Route 1. By the late 1930s, most of the original subdivision had been partially developed. Several fraternities and sororities built houses here. After incorporation in 1945, the city continued to grow.
The Lakeland neighborhood developed around the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Edwin Newman created Lakeland in 1890. The area became an African-American settlement. Around 1900, the Baltimore Gold Fish Company built five artificial lakes here. By 1903, Lakeland was an established African-American community.
Francis Shannabrook developed the Berwyn neighborhood around 1885. He built a small depot and general store. He also erected approximately 15 homes.
Edward Daniels created Daniels Park in 1905. This residential subdivision had single-family houses. The houses range in style from American Foursquares to bungalows.
Edward Daniels also planned the Hollywood subdivision. Development was slow until after World War II. Albert Turner acquired large tracts in the late 1940s.
Today, College Park is experiencing significant development. New housing, office space, and restaurants have opened. The University of Maryland launched the Greater College Park initiative in 2014. This aims to revitalize the community. It will create one of the nation’s best college towns. In 2021 the College Park City Hall was completed.
College Park continues to evolve. It blends its historical roots with modern innovation. A place of learning a place of progress College Park welcomes all.